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Golden Retrievers are well-known for their happy-go-lucky personalities and affection for people. A lesser-known fact about them is that many Golden Retrievers love playing with socks. This behavior is so common that you can find numerous videos of Golden Retrievers searching for socks and playing with them. There are also plenty of forums with concerned Golden Retriever owners whose dogs wonât stop chewing on their socks.
Itâs likely Golden Retrievers like playing with socks because they carry their family membersâ scent. Socks become the ideal chew toy because they smell like the people that Golden Retrievers love, and they have a soft and plush texture.
Even though it may seem cute and harmless, playing with socks can be a safety issue. Therefore, itâs best to keep socks away from Golden Retrievers. Keep reading to understand why your Golden Retriever might be chewing on your socks and how you can prevent them from accessing them.
The 4 Possible Reasons Why Golden Retrievers Like Socks
Every Golden Retriever is unique and can have differing reasons for chewing on socks. Here are some common reasons why your Golden Retriever may develop a habit of playing with your socks.
1. Socks Carry Your Scent
Golden Retrievers are known for their love and affection for their families, and theyâre capable of forming strong bonds with people. Considering how much Golden Retrievers love being around their people, itâs very possible that they may prefer socks because of their scent.
Dogs are known to find comfort in articles of clothing that carry their ownersâ scent. Since socks carry a particularly strong scent of their owners, Golden Retrievers may like them even more.
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2. Soft Texture
Golden Retrievers may view socks as toys that smell like their owners. Socks can feel similar to plush dog toys, and they can be fun to tug on and chew. When theyâre balled up, they can feel like softer versions of tennis balls. So, if your Golden Retriever loves to play fetch and retrieve things, they may prefer playing with socks because theyâre lighter and easier to carry in their mouth.
3. Getting Attention
In general, dogs are very quick to pick up on what gets your attention. If you show a particularly strong reaction whenever you find your dog chewing on socks, your dog can begin to learn that chewing on socks will get your reaction. Both positive and negative reactions can reinforce this behavior. Therefore, if you want to get your Golden Retriever to stop chewing on your socks, itâll be extremely helpful to not display strong emotions or acknowledgement when you catch them with your socks.
Image Credit: Mirjana Zidar, Shutterstock
4. Anxiety or Compulsive Behavior
Chewing can be soothing and calming for dogs, so many dogs will chew because it feels good to them. However, excessive and destructive chewing and licking can be linked with a behavioral issue, such as anxiety or a compulsive disorder. For example, some dogs may start to chew on objects when they feel overwhelming stress from separation anxiety. Since socks have strong smells of their owners, Golden Retrievers may resort to chewing on socks when theyâre feeling anxiety.
Is It Safe for Golden Retrievers to Chew on Socks?
Itâs not recommended for Golden Retrievers to chew on socks because of the safety risks. Socks arenât designed to be dog chew toys and canât withstand a Golden Retrieverâs strong jaws. They can unravel rather quickly, and the threads can get caught between their teeth or be a choking hazard. Socks can also cause intestinal blockage and gastrointestinal upset in dogs. Foreign body obstructions like socks can be life-threatening and require surgical removal to save a dogâs life.
Chewing on your socks can also enable Golden Retrievers to start chewing on any kind of sock they find in the house. Therefore, not only does chewing on socks pose a health risk, but itâs also costly. Youâll likely find yourself having to replace socks much too frequently.
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Preventing Your Golden Retriever from Chewing on Your Socks
If your Golden Retriever develops a habit of chewing on your socks, itâs best to schedule a vet appointment first. Your vet can examine your Golden Retriever and see if there are any links between the chewing and a medical or behavioral issue. If your Golden Retrieverâs chewing is connected to a behavioral issue, your veterinarian can offer treatment options that address emotional distress and separation anxiety.
Provide More Enrichment
Getting your Golden Retriever to stop chewing on socks usually requires multiple changes. Oftentimes, Golden Retrievers will chew on socks because theyâre bored and under stimulated. So, itâs important to find toys and activities that are more fun for them than socks. Itâs likely youâll have to make changes to your Golden Retrieverâs routine so that it includes more playtime, exercise, and other boredom-busting activities.
Image Credit: Birgit Reitz-Hofmann, Shutterstock
Keep Your Socks Put Away
Itâs also important to store your socks in a secure place at all times. Make sure your dirty laundry hampers are placed in areas that your Golden Retriever canât access. Fold and store away your socks immediately after washing them so that your Golden Retriever wonât be tempted to snoop through your laundry.
Train Your Golden Retriever
Keeping your Golden Retriever away from your socks will also require some training. Teaching and practicing the âleave itâ command can help immensely with getting your Golden Retriever to drop your socks without you having to chase them around and tug the socks out of their mouth.
As weâve mentioned before, giving a strong reactionâboth positive and negativeâwill reinforce the behavior and cause your Golden Retriever to continue chewing on your socks. So, make sure to remain calm if you catch your Golden Retriever with your socks. You can try to remove the socks from their mouth without making it a big deal or redirect your dogâs focus on the socks by using a more fun toy or a treat.
Thereâs no denying that training your Golden Retriever to leave your socks alone will be a challenging task, especially if theyâve already developed a habit of chewing on your socks. Itâs often helpful to enlist the help of a professional dog trainer to come up with an effective training plan to help redirect your Golden Retriever to chewing on safer, more appropriate toys and chews.
Image Credit: Soloviova Liudmyla, Shutterstock
Conclusion
Itâs most likely for your Golden Retriever to enjoy chewing on socks because they smell like you. They may also simply like the texture or the attention they receive when they engage in this behavior.
Because socks can be a choking hazard and cause serious intestinal blockage, itâs best to keep socks away from your Golden Retriever. Redirecting them to plush toys specifically designed for dogs can help them enjoy chewing while significantly reducing safety risks.
Featured Image Credit: Kyle Buhrer, Shutterstock
The post Why Do Golden Retrievers Like Socks So Much? Risks & Prevention Tips by Jessica Kim appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.
